


Walking around (just under a couple of moons)

by BlueflowersandWings



Series: Haikyuu X Avatar [1]
Category: Avatar (2009), Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Attempt at Humor, Crossover, Haikyuu!XAvatar fic, How Do I Tag, I hope you all like this, I really tried my best, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-12
Updated: 2019-04-12
Packaged: 2020-01-04 16:24:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18347333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueflowersandWings/pseuds/BlueflowersandWings
Summary: "I quite like your hair, y'know," Kuroo started tentatively, his voice faint, and mind whirring with a thousand and one wild thoughts again. Braids, braids... Tsukishima had a braid, even though he had really short hair even yesterday.... The Na'vi people, from the stories- they had braids, too... Was Kuroo missing some kind of a point here? "It's, it's a cool hairstyle."Abruptly, Tsukishima paused in his tracks, and then pointedly avoiding to turn and face Kuroo, he resumed their journey again, while in a low voice, he whispered, "You're very persistent, aren't you?"Or,An Avatar X Haikyuu crossover fic, where Kuroo last remembers finishing his chemistry project and getting into a fistfight, only to wake up in the middle of a weird forest hours later. The place is strange as it is, but stranger is the incident of bumping into your two-year neighbour/one-year old crush in the middle of the unknown, and when said crush admits that he is something other than your normal, usual human, it is a completely different situation altogether.





	Walking around (just under a couple of moons)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there! Welcome to my story! I've been working on this piece for over a month, when inspiration struck me after watching Avatar for the 1234567th on television. Like, this one needed a hell lot of editing, and the first half is more of a world-building, descriptive thing, but it gets better at the end, I promise! I researched a lot on the details to get them right, but if you do spot some mistake, feel free to tell me, and I'll rectify it. The idea is that the Pandora-n people have evolved with time, too, and became more human-like themselves, so I hope you don't get confused with the character descriptions. I hope people give this a go, and I hope this doesn't disappoint.
> 
> (I might edit this at a later date, if I find any mistakes, but till then, I hope there aren't any major typos...)
> 
> All the characters, and the worlds of Haikyuu! and Avatar belong to their rightful, talented creators, and this work is just meant for a little bit of creative, self-indulgent getaway. I hope everybody enjoys this, and I hope to see you guys at the end~~ :))

  


_"Kuroo, do you know who the **Na'vi** people are?"_

__  


"Oh, what the hell...?"

If it were not for the intense pain throbbing in his head, or the burning sensation beneath his closed eyelids, Kuroo was sure he would not have opened his eyes at any cost. Everything, everything was suddenly getting so weird around him, so strange and inexplicable and plain _weird_ , and the last thing he wanted was to wake up, and visualise some new kind of reality around him, completing the last step to becoming absolutely unhinged- with his sanity thrown to the wind. He didn't want to open his eyes, and as a matter of fact, the grass upon which he lay seemed too soft, and just convenient for him to sleep the day away,-- but when had he ever got what he wanted? 

With a small prayer for the safety of his mental balance whispered to the gods above, Kuroo lets out a whine at the thrum of pain running through his body, and finally opens his eyes. It takes a few moments for his vision to focus, but when they do, he has no doubt that the gods may disregard his prayer anyway, because he didn't seem to be on Earth any longer, or on any mortal realm. It felt like he was lying at the centre of the heavens itself (it might also be a really soft cloud really high in the sky), and _oh_ , is that _what he sees it is?_

  


Far above him, above the canopies of tall, strangely-shaped trees lining his vision from the ground, the free stretch of the evening sky seemed like a bursting, magnificent horizon of vapours. Huge, mountain-like stacks of clouds were tinted pretty with crimson and orange and purple and pink, while the space itself seemed dipped into the darkness of stormy, blackish hues. Amidst it all, countless glowing stars and constellations adorned the horizon, and peeking shyly from behind a cloud, two large, crescent shaped moons hung across the sky ( _two_ moons, yes- he may be hallucinating, but his internal commentary of the surroundings was very dutifully accurate).

Lining the shape of the moon, the outline of a huge fucking _planet_ glowed brightly like a halo, and it was a sight he had never seen before, and nothing he could ever imagine. The view was spellbinding, even low-key scary, and with the eerie, greenish lights that moved and shone around the stars, and deepened the shadows in the clouds, the space seemed magical, and _alive_ , just by its glow itself- even though not a single bird was flying around it.

  


It was beautiful.

  


It was also absolutely, definitely, terrifyingly _weird_. Just where the hell was he?

  


With a long, heartfelt groan, Kuroo willed the pain in his body to go away, and when it failed (naturally), he just tried his best to ignore it. Flattening his palms on the long, soft grass underneath, he pushed his body up, until he was properly sitting up on the grass, and with a curious, slightly hazy vision, the raven-haired boy looked around the wild clearing in wonder. He had no idea how he got here, and the last thing he remembered in this pain-induced state was him getting into a pretty serious fistfight, and hoping against hope that Bokuto was there to back him up. But here he lay, right at the centre of a grassy patch, the borders of which were lined with huge, maybe twenty feet tall, multicoloured trees, and as the evening set in, and the light of the sun slowly died out, Kuroo stared as small, tiny dots of lights, somewhat like fireflies, rose up from the grass in hordes, and floated about the clearing like pretty, lighted stars.

It was an enrapturing view, and with childlike wonder, Kuroo raised up a hand towards one of those _insects_ , and at once, two or three lights gathered around his fingers, humming sweetly. His glinting, hazel-gold eyes shone with the pin-pricks of light reflected in his irises, and for a long, fantastic moment, the boy decided that he might just spend the night sitting here, in this small clearing, amidst these glowing insects, and very obviously, very deep in a _forest_ , as the darkness slowly settled around him.

  


_I have no idea where I am, but this place is pretty cool._

  


And wonder of wonders, it seemed like more the darkness intensified, the more the forest awakened, and came alive. All around him, the leaves of the trees shone green, with light, pinkish veins running through them, as crimson and bluish ivy encircled the rough tree trunks. The buzz of insects, both hidden and familiar, rose around in pitch, as the vicious cries of the jungle animals made themselves heard. Wild, ferny trees and slippery moss spread languidly near the grass, and soon, the surroundings roared deafeningly with the untameable forces of nature. 

Instead of being scared though, as he would have normally been in such a situation, Kuroo only found immense pleasure in finding himself within the heart of a place so unfamiliar, yet so breathtakingly wonderful. If he had been irritated before, or scared, or in pain, all he could feel was contentment now, even though some of his fears were still there. This was a strange place, and it was a weird experience, but it felt as if he belonged to this land already, even though he had never been here before. With an intoxicated mind, he let his eyes fall closed, and flitting a lazy hand across the buzzing air around, he revelled in the echoing cries of the nature amongst the forest.

  


That is, until he was rudely startled by the sound of impossibly soft footfalls, and then, by the call of an unexpected, but a very, very familiar voice.

_"Kuroo-san?"_

  


His eyes flying open, Kuroo looked around, and located the source of the voice. As soon as he found it though, his body froze, his hands stopped moving, and he only stared wide at the person standing across the clearing, just at the border of trees, with his eyes just as surprised as the raven-haired boy's.

It was Tsukishima. Tsukishima Kei.

  


Standing away, but so, so near at the same time, the boy stood tall, glowing among the shadows of the trees around, with a hand slightly outstretched forward. He was the same Tsukishima Kuroo had bumped into at the college library, the same guy that had turned out to be his curious neighbour with too many plants at the apartment he shifted into- and the same, rude, snarky, interesting person Kuroo had found himself nursing a crushing heart for, after he slowly got to know him. He had the same fair skin, the pale, shortly cropped blonde hair, nerdy rectangular glasses hiding those warm, honey-golden eyes, and the same long, skinny pair of limbs- the Tsukishima Kuroo knew, this guy looked just the same like him, ditto. And honestly, Kuroo would have guffawed loudly at his expression, even though he was in a strange place, and they were staring at each other in the middle of a jungle- because Kuroo had never seen the boy so surprised before (it was a strange expression on Tsukishima's usually neutral face), and it would only be natural if he dissolved into hysterics any moment now.

  


Except, that it would be natural only if this _really_ was the Tsukishima Kuroo knew.

  


It was Tsukishima alright, from his blonde hair and dark glasses and long, skinny limbs; but, somehow, for some reason, the Tsukishima standing in front of him looked... different. His hair was as pale as before, and just as blonde- but it was longer now, so _so_ long, styled into a neat, intricate braid, and it looked as if the sun itself had let loose a few of its glowing rays among the strands. Even though he was clad in the same, crumpled green t-shirt and baggy trousers (and _wait_ , where did his shoes go?), the exposed skin of his arms and toes and neck were covered with twisted, wiry, tattoo-like markings, which shone a variety of blues against his complexion. His form looked taller somehow, more wilder, as if he was a part of the jungle more than Kuroo was, but the most striking change in his features were his eyes. If they were a warm, honey colour before, they were completely amber now, like pure, molten gold- and like the sun rays dissolved into a pool of crystal clear liquid. He stood out starkly among the darkness, but he seemed to be at home among the wilderness, too, and that, in itself, was the most noticeable change of all.

  


This was Tsukishima Kei alright, but it definitely wasn't the Tsukishima Kuroo knew.

  


While that realization itself was scarier than he imagined, even if he tried to ignore the sudden change in the appearance and beauty of the boy (because fuck it, Kuroo knew Tsukishima was _beautiful_ , alright?), there was no ignoring the hand Tsukishima still stretched out in front of him, and upon a closer look, Kuroo realised that it held something shiny inside his fingers. From the distance, Kuroo could only imagine Tsukishima holding an insect similar to the glow worms that drifted lazily around Kuroo among the grass, but as soon as he opened his mouth to greet the boy, Tsukishima stepped closer, and with a small swish, he let the insect go.

The light- or the insect- floated serenely through the air, slowly but surely making its way towards Kuroo, and as it came nearer, Kuroo saw that it looked too... unique, to be called an insect. It was a tiny pin-prick of light, from which wavy, tentacle-like things grew out, which moved about and helped the small creature to float. It gave out a glowing, white light, and as it came closer, the glow worms around Kuroo drifted away. Slowly, the creature settled on top of Kuroo's hair, feather-light in weight, and by the time Kuroo's eyes slipped from the creature to Tsukishima again, the younger boy stood closer to him now, hands clenched at his sides.

  


Kuroo was sure he didn't hear Tsukishima moving.

  


Tsukishima wore an indescribable look on his face, his surprise all but gone now. With his tattoo-marks glowing beautifully in the darkness, and his voice the same cool timbre Kuroo had come to memorise, he slowly said, "Kuroo-san."

"Tsukishima," Kuroo replied, too confused about where to start talking, or about _what_. Should he ask about how and why they were standing in the middle of a jungle, or should he question about the strange creature sitting on his head, or about all the things lying in between? No longer retaining his ability to properly think anymore, Kuroo decided to just let go of everything, and in the most eloquent way possible, he said, "Umm... Hi? How're you doing?"

Whatever daze Tsukishima had fallen into (with wide, inquisitive eyes and cutely furrowed eyebrows), he seemed to break out of it just as Kuroo opened his mouth, and then, his default, are-you-too-stupid-to-see-just-how-stupid-you-are expression came back in full force. Kuroo kind of liked his expression from before, but he didn't realise just how much he missed this side of the younger boy up till now.

"What are you doing here?" Tsukishima asked, voice dipped in cold water, and eyes narrowing down with misplaced suspicion and judgement. "You're not supposed to be here, Kuroo-san. How did you come here anyway?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Kuroo honestly replied, "I don't know." When Tsukishima's expression scarily darkened though, he hastily went on to say, "No wait, I'm serious! I have no idea what I'm doing here- I don't even know what this place is! I've never been here before, and I don't remember travelling _anywhere_. The only thing I remember last is that I was walking home from college today when--"

Suddenly, Kuroo's eyes widened, as Tsukishima's already were from the beginning of his explanation, and slapping a hand to his forehead, he cried, "Oh my god, I remember now! I was walking back to my apartment, with my chemistry project in hand, when suddenly, I saw two people fighting. Like seriously, the kill-or-surrender kind of fighting. I thought it might've been you, Tsukki" he completely ignores the mortified expression on Tsukishima's face then, "and I wanted to stop you guys from fighting. I kinda tried to step in but suddenly, there was a loud shout, and lots of darkness -like _dark light_ -, and then a white light, and then-- I fell asleep, only to wake up here."

Tsukishima blinked, trying to process everything that was said, while Kuroo's shoulders slumped in on themselves, too tired of existing after that excited ramble. "What the hell, Tsukki?" he muttered, frustrated, to himself, "There I was, trying to help a guy, and they had the nerve to jump on me instead! I got transported into this weird- beautiful, but still weird- place, in the middle of god-knows-where, and I lost my chemistry project, too! This is so fucked up, and confusing, and Bokuto is going to miss me so much... God, I feel like screaming!"

  


"Whatever you do, please don't scream," Tsukishima interrupted his petulant speech mercilessly, "I think I've had enough nonsense for the night." Then, he looked around the clearing attentively, as if searching for any signs of danger, and when he looked back at Kuroo again, still sitting languidly on the grass below, his brows furrowed down- _cutely_ \- in thought, and as if he was talking about the weather, he casually asked, "By the way, Kuroo-san, how come you're not dead yet?"

  


__

_/ / /_

  


Honestly, if it hadn't been for some stupid seed of a giant, ancient, and equally stupid goddamned _tree_ , Tsukishima is sure he would have been well along his path homewards right now. Instead of walking around the trees, and quietly listening to and feeling the essence of the nostalgic surroundings seep deep into his bones, here he was, after so many years, stuck in a clearing far from home, having a dubious conversation with a meddlesome, oblivious human, who unfortunately had been his handsome neighbour in the human world for a couple of years. Kuroo looked absolutely aghast at what Tsukishima so flippantly asked, and the blonde boy resisted the urge to roll his eyes exasperatedly, though Kuroo's expression soothed his irritated, frayed nerves for the time being.

  


Yes, Tsukishima knew he was sadistic, if ever so slightly. But why should he even care, especially when he was the obvious victim here?

  


"W-what the hell, Tsukki?" Kuroo exclaimed in mortification (which was kind of the opposite reaction Tsukishima was trying to bring out), "Why- why would I need to die so suddenly? I'm very fine being alive, thank you very much!"

Tsukishima clicked his tongue in annoyance- humans could be so oblivious sometimes, and this specimen here was the worst he had ever had to deal with. "You don't need to die, Kuroo-san," he blandly replied, trying his best to reign in the judgement from leaking into his voice, "But the fact is, that you're not supposed to be alive around here."

"Huh? I don't get it, Tsukki," the raven-haired boy's eyes narrowed down in genuine confusion, and Tsukishima might have felt a little sympathy for him, if only he didn't use that absolutely repulsive nickname. "You're being really cryptic here, man. Like, why am I supposed to be _dead_ \- I don't even know what this place is? I don't really know where I am but, that doesn't make me eligible to _die_ , right?"

The way he gravely emphasised the words meaning 'death' was funny, and Tsukishima might've smirked, if only Kuroo hadn't asked further, as an afterthought, "Also, _you_ look perfectly fine to me, Tsukki. So why am I the only one supposed to die?"

  


Tsukishima had always admired and respected the ingrained inquisitive nature of humans, which led them to ask questions, and explore wondrous new things. But it didn't take away the fact that they were an annoying species from birth, and frankly, too meddlesome and curious for their own good. _Asked too many questions, and had much less insight._ It was an annoyance, but after months of encounters, Tsukishima had perfected the art of restraint and patience, and there were only a few people who could claim to have ever seen his really annoyed side. Very few.

But honestly, this human snatched the prize among them all. Damn these handsome, scientific human nerds.

  


"First, don't call me Tsukki. _Ever_ ," Tsukishima replied on pure instinct, enraged at the less than appropriate turn his thoughts were taking,- but then, his logical mind was whirring in confusion, too. No matter how irritating a situation this was, he could not deny that something was clearly not right here. Kuroo was- as far as both of them knew- a simple, normal human (no matter how physically attractive he was), and technically, humans weren't supposed to survive in the raw atmosphere of Pandora. It was quite alright for Tsukishima, because he had been born here, and technically, he wasn't even a human, not in the least- but it wasn't supposed to work out like this for Kuroo. The human couldn't have managed to survive here for so long, breathing the air that was practically poison for his lungs, and still looking perfectly fine, when he should have died from lack of oxygen long ago. Was this a normal occurrence now- of humans being able to live naturally among these Na'vi-trodden forests?

  


Just how much had Pandora changed, during the years Tsukishima had been stuck in the human world?

  


"Kuroo-san," he asked in all seriousness, "You're not- humans cannot breathe the air around this place. They... aren't supposed to, as there is too much of other poisonous gases, and too less oxygen. Are you sure you're feeling completely fine right now? Completely _normal?_ "

Blinking, Kuroo stuck his nose up in the air, a little comically, and made a high, sniffing sound. "Hmm..." he pondered, trying to smell the scent of the _atmosphere_ like the idiot he was. "The air does smell a little funny around here... But other than that, I feel totally good. Not any different than _normal_ , y'know?"

Tsukishima's brows pinched down in thought, the marks on his arms glowing a brighter blue due to the strain, and he completely missed the way Kuroo's eyes sparked in curiosity, and followed and traced the tattoo patterns all across his body. Crossing his arms tightly across his chest, he tried to figure out a solution to his own, very viable questions, and it was then when Kuroo's attentive eyes widened comically, and in a loud voice, he exclaimed, "Oh, now wait just a second- Tsukki!"

  


Tsukishima snapped his head down to meet Kuroo's eyes, and all at once, he knew that Kuroo _knew_.

  


"Tsukishima," Kuroo breathed out in into the heavy silence, hazel eyes glinting like stars in the darkness, and for once, Tsukishima wished the boy wouldn't use his proper name like that. "You- you said that humans cannot survive here, right? I'm a human, but for some reason, I'm still alive- but, but the way you said it, that-- you said it as if it didn't bother _you_ at all. And you look fine to me here, too. If that is the case, then, then, Tsukki, are you- are you not--"

  


"Am I not a human? Yes, you're absolutely right, Kuroo-san. I don't have a single drop of human DNA running in my veins." 

  


The silence that followed after was deafening, and only a second too late, Tsukishima realised that it might have been a very stupid thing to do. He wasn't supposed to say things like that, especially after trying to hide his identity from the humans for such a long, long time- but he didn't regret it, at all. He had seen it, seen the flicker of realisation spark in Kuroo's eyes even before the man opened his mouth to confirm it, and denying the truth that had been laid down so obviously (especially now that he knew that Kuroo was somehow strangely was immune to Pandora's humanely poisonous atmosphere) seemed like an even stupider thing to do. Idiotic even. So Tsukishima just decided to cut all the beating-round-the-bush bullshit, came straight to the point, and set them clear.

  


After all, Tsukishima may be a lot of things- _stupid_ , even, but he absolutely refused to be an idiot. He already had too much of idiotic presences in his life than he would like to admit, and he was better off not piling more into the mess.

  


Somehow, even though it should have been a ridiculous confession, Kuroo didn't seem to _not_ believe him a bit. He didn't seem mad, nor did he seem particularly scared. Instead, moments later, his mouth dropped in a comical fashion, eyes almost falling out of their sockets, looking like he had seen a ghost itself. No, it seemed like he was looking at a _god_ himself (it just made so much difference), and there was no doubt about it now- Kuroo Tetsurou was the most ridiculous man Tsukishima had ever came across.

"Oh my god, you're serious," Kuroo whispered in awe, which was stupid, because _who was the one who asked the question in the first place?_ Regardless, after a few moments of a tense staring match, he seemed to recover from his daze quickly, and sighed, "I can't believe this is happening to me."

Tsukishima was just highly impressed, and a little bit confused now- how come Kuroo was taking all these seemingly impossible things in stride so easily, when it would have freaked out any other human in his place? Kuroo didn't seem to behave much like a normal human in the first place, but this was going way too far now. Snapping Tsukishima back from his thoughts though, Kuroo slapped his hands on both of his cheeks (the strange, human thing people do when they need to concentrate, commonly shown especially in Japanese anime), and clearing his throat in a decisive manner, he said, "Okay, so, let's start this thing over. Hi, I'm Kuroo Tetsurou, an Earth-dwelling, absolutely _human_ human, and I'm guessing that you're Tsukishima Kei, who looks like a human, but actually isn't a human, and you have been my apartment neighbour for the last two years. Correct?"

Staring unblinkingly, Tsukishima nodded in assent, and Kuroo's shoulders slumped in on themselves again. Instead of looking sullen though, he just looked too damn curious.

"Okay, so that's cleared now," he said, rifling a hand through his dark locks. "Now, about this place," he took a fleeting look at their wild, nighttime surroundings, "If you say that this place is not fit for humans, then I'm guessing that this isn't a place where humans live at all, right? Like, it cannot exist on the Earth's surface, at least, so there could be only two possibilities. One, we could be _under_ the surface of the Earth- which is both scientifically and theoretically impossible-, or, we could be outside of the Earth's atmosphere, like, like in space. Scientifically, that's not a plausible fact too but, sure, let's just go with that, alright?"

  


Kuroo seemed too lost in his made-up world of thoughts and hypothesises, but staring hard at the human sprawled so inelegantly on the grass, Tsukishima felt that he was bloody damn impressed.

  


The raven-haired boy kept on mumbling little things under his breath, things even Tsukishima's sharp hearing had difficulty to pick up, and getting impatient, the blonde boy kicked on the grass lightly to catch the human's attention. The trick worked like magic, and Kuroo looked up, startled, and offered him a sheepish grin. "Oh, sorry Tsukki," that horrible nickname made a reappearance again, but Tsukishima decided to excuse it for now. "So," Kuroo said, holding up three of his fingers, "I have about three questions for you, and I hope you will answer them, so that a little of my confusion could be cleared away. First, you said you're not a human, but then exactly _what_ are you Tsukki? Second, what and where exactly is this place? And third, and the most important of all," Kuroo pointed his index finger at the top of his head, "What the hell is this creature, and why is it sitting like this on the top of my head?"

  


"..."

"...Tsukki..?"

"That's actually about five different questions. Be more precise, will you, Kuroo-san?"

"Ignore the specifics, man. Just answer the questions."

  


Throughout the time he had interacted with Kuroo (mostly unwillingly) in the human world, there were a lot of times where the raven-haired guy had been an idiot and a sap and a horrible example of neatly-styled hair, but there were rare instances where the boy's scientific, on-point, factual aspect of mind had managed to surprise the heck out of Tsukishima's normally composed thought processes. The older boy was actually a calm, logical, and feet-on-the-ground sort of guy deep down ( _really_ deep down), whom no unexpected circumstance could phase more than ten seconds, and there was little doubt as to how and why the guy ended up with a full scholarship in biochemistry into one of the most prestigious colleges of Tokyo. He was straight-forward in his thoughts, trying to find a scientific explanation for anything remotely inexplicable, but most of the times, his naturally asshole-ish personality managed to divert others' attention from his neatly concealed genius. And Tsukishima was no exception to the fact, too.

  


Tsukishima sighed, and uncrossed his arms around his chest. Maybe there was a reason Pandora allowed Kuroo to breathe its air and live, after all.

  


__

_/ / /_

  


_I know this is a little late but..._ "Can you keep up?" _Are you okay?_

"Yup." _I'm totally fine, just walking under a couple of moons. No big deal._

"For the record," Tsukishima said, swatting a hand at some obstructing branches, "You were correct about the 'being out of the Earth' thing. About being in space, I mean- 'cuz Pandora actually lies about several light years away from the human planet." His tone was serious despite the light-hearted admission, as he trudged expertly through the forest with Kuroo clumsily in tow- but there was a hint of _something_ in his voice, something so much more than mere annoyance, or his usual show of detachment, and that in itself made Kuroo feel a little better about a lot of things.

  


Like, being stuck in a whole different planet in _Space_ so suddenly, for example. There must be some sort of a limit to the amount of wild, preferably implausible things his life could throw at him so suddenly, but this seemed to be a day of pushing boundaries right now.

  


It was an effort trying to keep up with the blonde boy's obviously practised, used-to movements through the trees, and though there were a lot of other, beautiful, interesting things to look at around, Kuroo's eyes kept coming back to Tsukishima's slender, fascinating form. His long, beautiful braid moved elegantly with each of his steps, and Kuroo found himself fascinated by both the glow of his hair, and the curved marks on his body. He seemed like an ethereal, absolutely unbelievable piece of art broken from a beautiful fantasy, even from the back,- and quite suddenly, he was reminded of the old, fantastic folklore tales his grandma used to tell him during the cold, winter evenings, when he was just a small, pint-sized kid back in his oversized, baggy shorts. 

  


_"Kuroo, do you know who the **Na'vi** people are?"_

  


Stories centuries old, ones which couldn't be found buried in the most ancient of historical libraries. Stories of tall, blue, tailed human-like giants, with long dark braids, too-sharp teeth, and beautiful golden eyes. Tales of the People, who lived in tribes, tamed ferocious beasts, hunted with strong bows and swift arrows, soared in the skies, and lived as one living part of their Nature itself.

Stories of the People, of the tribes, of the Na'avi. Of those beautiful, spectacular creatures Kuroo had imagined to meet one day, and fell in love with their harmonious ways and customs. It was too bad that they lived in a far, faraway planet, afraid and angry at them humans for reasons he never got to know- but his grandma said that she had seen them in person, lived as one with them in their full glory, and as a kid, Kuroo had longed and hoped and dreamt of doing the same some day. He had wanted to meet the People, and he had wanted to live with them forever.

  


And then, he grew up, and promptly forgot all about it. And _now_ , when he finally found himself in a whole another planet, and in a similar situation like his grandma, Kuroo suddenly remembered a lost part of himself, again.

  


And then, the scientific, genius part of his mind kicked in, and started working. _Theorising._ It was always a bit late to start, but when it did, there was no stopping it.

Quite suddenly, he was hit with a strange theory yet again. And however much he tried, he couldn't get it out of his head.

  


"I quite like your hair, y'know," Kuroo started tentatively, his voice faint, and mind whirring with a thousand and one wild thoughts again. Braids, braids... Tsukishima had a braid, even though he had really short hair just yesterday.... The Na'vi people, from the stories- they had braids, too... Was Kuroo missing some kind of a point here? "It's, it's a cool hairstyle."

Abruptly, Tsukishima paused in his tracks, and then pointedly avoiding to turn and face Kuroo, he resumed their journey again, while in a low voice, he whispered, "You're very persistent, aren't you?"

Kuroo gulped at the small lump forming in his throat. "Yeah, that I am," he replied in a voice equally low, "I've been known to be a patient person most of the times, but this time, I can't really help it."

  


He really couldn't help it, not this time; without answering any three of his questions (even the most important question of all), Tsukishima had just asked Kuroo to get up and follow him, and shooed the light- insect?- from his head and into the air. The creature was still following them, flitting around Kuroo in a gentle, curious manner, and though Tsukishima claimed that he would get all his answers when they would reach their destination, Kuroo's patience was already running thin, his curiosity intensifying, and his mind close to self-destructing. He was in fucking Space- he was allowed to be impatient sometimes, right?  


"You'll get your answers when we get there," Tsukishima said, cryptic as usual, and it did nothing to ease Kuroo's restlessness. "When we arrive, there'll be lots of people willing to answer each of your questions, and what's more, I'd finally get rid of you for a long, long time. Hopefully."

"That's kinda harsh, Tsukki," Kuroo replied easily, but after the not-so-amused side-glare from the other boy, the pair descended into a deep, haunting silence. Tsukishima looked like he had maneuvered around these forests countless of times, and seemed perfectly at ease among the tall, strangely-shaped and glowing trees. There was a lot to see, and a lot to explore around, but Kuroo's mind was racing ahead a mile a minute, too excited building up wild, intergalactic-fantasy theories to properly observe the natural wonders around. The pressure was building inside him, steadily- the pressure of a possibility, of a notion-- the pressure of a familiarity that threatened to burst inside him any moment, and Kuroo was powerless to rein it in anymore. He wanted to say something, wanted to test out a wild, impossible theory, but however much he wanted to keep silent, the stretch of the crimson sky above them, and the sight of the two moons hanging across the clouds finally tipped him over the precipice.

  


And stupidly, he blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.

  


"Tsukishima, you know what?" Kuroo started, "This whole thing kinda reminds me of something my Grandma used to tell me when I was a kid."

Tsukishima doesn't answer, and keeps walking, but Kuroo knows he is listening, as he always does. So tentatively, Kuroo continues.

"Yeah," he said, craning up his neck and looking at the sky, pretending as if Tsukishima had asked him to continue. Out of the corner of his eyes, he sees the glowing creature float closer to his hair again, and this time, he doesn't swat it away. "She used to tell me stories about tall, blue-coloured hunters, who lived in tribes and clans, and used to worship the forests as their Mother. I don't remember half of them now, but they used to be really interesting stories, and with a lot of big, complicated names. Not more complicated than chemical compounds but, I was just a kid back then."

Kuroo brings a hand at the back of his nape. In front of him, he sees that Tsukishima slowly slows down his pace a little. _No mistake._

  


"What more do you remember?" he asks, but doesn't look back. Kuroo sighs a little, but continues.

"Told you, not much," he said, and somehow, he feels that the surroundings are becoming a little lighter than before. Clearer, in his eyes. It was like some kind of a magic was permeating his senses, and sending them to overdrive. "She told me that they used to live in a really faraway planet, which kind of seems similar to my situation. I completely forgot about them until now, but.. your hair kind of made me remember. The Na'vi people used to have braids too, y'know? Even the guys."

  


Right in front of him, all too suddenly, Tsukishima stops dead in his tracks.

  


Slowly, the boy turned around, melted golden eyes wide with surprise and shock and something else Kuroo can't put a name to, and with an uncharacteristically croaky voice, he asked, "...N- _Na'vi?_ " 

Confused and oblivious, Kuroo nodded warily, but suddenly, all the pieces start falling back into their places, and he cannot make them stop. Tsukishima didn't seem foreign to the concept of the People, not at all- what's more, he seemed positively shocked that Kuroo retained knowledge about those fictional characters, those that could be best described as _aliens_ in their timeline. It was odd, because Kuroo didn't think he knew anybody else who seemed to know about those strange tales Grandma used to tell him to bed, and what's odder was that here was Tsukishima, who claimed to be something other than a human, and reacted like Kuroo had accidentally uncovered a deep, ancient secret. It was confusing, but not so confusing at all, and there was only one definite conclusion Kuroo could arrive to from this mess.

  


_His theory was correct, after all._

  


What if- what if those stories weren't just mere stories at all? Kuroo had been thinking about this all along, and though it seemed impossible, a lot of impossible things were happening to him today, and Tsukishima's reaction only solidified his theory. If the stories really weren't just stories, and if they did have some kind of a concrete, factual origin, then was this place the same one where those twelve-feet creatures used to live? If they still hated humans, then it was only natural that they wouldn't let anyone know of their existence, and if this really was their home, then of course Kuroo wouldn't be able to survive here, because he was a fucking _human_ , stuck in an alien environment. It all made just perfect sense, with some imperfect, twisted logic, and if Tsukishima was able to roam around this place like it was home, then it was clear that he was a part of this planet too.

  


He was a _Na'vi_. He wasn't blue (though he had blue markings on his body), he wasn't twelve-feet tall (though he was pretty taller than most humans), and he didn't have a tail. But he had a long braid, though all this time, his hair had been short and cropped. He had sun-kissed, honey-golden eyes that matched exactly like his grandmother's vivid, artistic descriptions, and though the even's and odd's were stuck equally against each other, in Kuroo's mind, there was no denying it.

Tsukishima Kei was a Na'vi, and even though Kuroo had forgotten his childhood dream while growing up, his fate had never forgotten it itself.

  


Tsukishima saw it in his eyes, yet again, the realisation flashing like a spark, and spreading like a fire across Kuroo's body in an instant. Within a moment, within the split fraction of a second, Kuroo's nostrils flared as he took in a deep, startled breath, hands clenching and unclenching at his sides, and Tsukishima knew that he couldn't avoid it any longer. Kuroo already knew everything that he needed to know about this place, (even though he had no idea _how_ ), and all that remained was for Tsukishima to take him to his tribe, and see just who and how and why this human really was. And fast. It was troublesome, but it was equally important at the same time.

  


And then, he saw it.

Kuroo's dark hazel eyes were slowly turning golden.

  


There was no use in stalling now.

  


This was idiotic, and stupid. But Tsukishima was far too overwhelmed and confused to pay it any heed, and turning around, he uttered a soft "Follow me," and within seconds, he was leaping through the soil and the trees and the serenely glowing streams, with Kuroo's jaw dropping at his sudden retreat. A moment later, he began running too, trying to follow Tsukishima's trail the best he could, and never minding the way the strange creature on top of his head clung tightly onto his hair, intent on following him all the way to the modern successor of the age-old, and fabled Omaticaya tribe.

  


Two years later, a lost child of the Forest was finally returning home now, dragging in tow with him an absolute mystery, and Tsukishima knew there was something the stupid seed of that stupid, ancient tree wanted them all to know. What Tsukishima knew right now was that there was absolutely a reason Pandora had decided to let a human like Kuroo trod its pure, unblemished soil, and whatever it was, he was going to find out. He was going to sort out this enigmatic mess that was Kuroo Tetsurou, and then find a way to get rid of this unfairly attractive nuisance altogether.

  


(At least, he hoped so.)

  


**Author's Note:**

> ...I really hope it wasn't a major disappointment. For those interested, I am planning to continue this series further, and a lot of things are going to get cleared in the later stories. I just cannot handle the idea of a multi-chap now, so one-shots are the best alternative.
> 
> I really hope some of you guys liked it! I put a lot of work into this story, and I would feel really happy if anyone wanted to share their opinions about this with me. I'm open to constructive feedback, as long as it is not meant to harm or hurt in any way, and I really hope this story brightened the day of its readers just a little bit. I'll be looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this work, and if you have any queries, or if you want to share your views, just comment down below, and I'd be more than happy to answer them all!
> 
> With that, I'll take my leave, and I hope that wherever you are, you all have a good day/night!! :))


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